Queso (Mexican cheese sauce)
A silky, smooth white cheese sauce with green chillies, made without processed cheese, for nachos and dipping.
Make this once, then cook it into 28 different dishes.
- Time25 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.30 a head
- Makesabout 750 ml, enough for 3 batches of nachos or burritos for 4
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low to medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured, then add the garlic and jalapeños and cook for 2 minutes.
7 min - 2
Mix the cornflour with 3 tbsp of the evaporated milk in a small bowl until smooth. Pour the rest of the evaporated milk into the pan with the cumin and warm until just steaming at the edges.
- 3
Stir in the cornflour mixture and simmer very gently for 2 minutes, stirring, until the milk is slightly thickened.
2 min - 4
Turn the heat to its lowest. Add the cheeses a handful at a time, stirring until each addition has melted before adding the next. Do not let it boil or the sauce will turn grainy.
- 5
Stir in the green chillies and lime juice. Taste and add salt only if needed. Thin with a splash of milk if it is too thick.
- 6
For a very smooth sauce, blitz briefly with a stick blender. Serve hot, straight away, over nachos or with tortilla chips for dipping.
About queso (mexican cheese sauce)
Queso is a warm, creamy cheese sauce made with melted cheese and chillies, served as a dip for tortilla chips and poured over nachos, burritos and baked potatoes. This white version has a mild cheesy flavour, a gentle heat from jalapeños and a green chilli freshness, and it stays smooth as it cools.
Queso, short for chile con queso, is a Tex-Mex dish rather than a traditional Mexican one. In northern Mexico a similar dish called queso fundido uses stringy melted cheeses such as Chihuahua or Oaxaca. Those cheeses are hard to buy in the UK, so a mix of mild white cheddar and mozzarella gives a similar melt.
A little cornflour and evaporated milk keep the sauce stable without processed cheese or sodium citrate, so it stays glossy and does not split.
Tips
- Grate the cheese yourself from a block. Bagged, pre-grated cheese is coated in starch to stop sticking and makes the sauce grainy.
- Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in and add it a handful at a time. Hot cheese sauce that boils splits into oil and curds.
- If the sauce splits, take it off the heat and whisk in a splash of warm evaporated milk, then blitz with a stick blender.
- Dairy free version: blend 150 g boiled potato, 1 boiled carrot, 60 ml olive oil, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, the green chillies, lime juice, salt and 150 ml warm water until smooth. It is not identical to cheese but it dips and pours well.
- If you cannot find tinned green chillies, use a roasted, peeled poblano or green pepper plus an extra jalapeño.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 to 2 hours and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 3 days in a covered container. Reheat gently in a saucepan over a low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not freeze, as the sauce turns grainy.
Dishes you can make with queso (mexican cheese sauce)
Nachos con Queso Chipotle (Smoky Cheese Nachos)
GFEFNFNachos de Queso con Frijoles y Escabeche (Cheese Nachos)
GFEFNFTotopos con Birria (Birria Nachos with Queso Dip)
EFNFHPNachos de Tinga con Queso (Loaded Chipotle Black Bean Nachos)
VEFNFNachos de Camarón al Chipotle (Chipotle Prawn Nachos)
GFEFNFNachos al Pastor (Loaded Pastor Pork Nachos)
GFEFNFNachos de Pollo Asado con Queso (Loaded Chicken Nachos)
GFEFNFTotopos con Carnitas y Queso (Carnitas Nachos)
GFEFNFNachos de Barbacoa con Queso (Loaded Beef Nachos)
GFEFNFNachos de Carne con Queso Casero (Loaded Beef Nachos with Queso)
GFEFNFChilaquiles Verdes con Queso Blanco (Green Chilaquiles with Queso)
GFNFVPapas Asadas Rellenas de Frijol Negro y Queso (Black Bean and Queso Baked Potatoes)
GFEFNFQuestions
Why is my queso grainy?
Usually because the cheese was pre-grated and coated in starch, or the sauce got too hot. Grate cheese from a block and add it slowly on the lowest heat without boiling.
What is the best cheese for queso in the UK?
A mix of mild white cheddar and block mozzarella melts well. Authentic Mexican queso uses Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese, which are harder to find. Avoid strongly aged cheeses, which split.
Can I make queso dairy free?
Yes, with a blended potato, carrot and olive oil sauce with nutritional yeast, lime and green chillies (see the tips). It tastes different from cheese but is smooth and good for dipping.
Can I make queso ahead?
Yes. Make it up to 3 days ahead and reheat gently with a splash of milk, stirring until steaming hot. Do not freeze it.
How spicy is it?
Mild to medium. Remove the jalapeño seeds for mild, or leave some in or add a pinch of cayenne for more heat.
Is queso gluten free and vegetarian?
Yes, if you use a gluten free cornflour and cheeses labelled vegetarian, because some cheeses contain animal rennet. It contains dairy, so it is not dairy free.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.